European Union News

Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina must catch up on the reforms needed to qualify for a short-stay visa waiver like those of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs. The European Commission should report on the two countries' progress early in 2010, and also start a dialogue on visas with Kosovo, they added.

A strong appeal for the abolition of capital punishment was issued by EP President Jerzy Buzek as he opened this week's plenary session in Strasbourg with a reference to European Day against the Death Penalty.

The European Commission today launched a public consultation of professionals from the EU's audiovisual industry on how to best seize the opportunities and address the challenges of the 'digital revolution' in the EU film sector. Feedback from cinema and audiovisual professionals as well as national film agencies and other interested parties during the 2 month consultation opened by the Commission today will feed into a Communication early next year setting out the Commission's policy on digital cinema.

The European Commission has adopted a Communication on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy aiming to tackle the important cultural and legal challenges of mass-scale digitisation and dissemination of books, in particular of European library collections. Improving the distribution and availability of works for persons with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired, is another cornerstone of the Communication.

Ahead of the 4 th European Development Days, a Special Eurobarometer on “Development Aid in time of economic turmoil” shows that the crisis affecting European countries did not affect public support for development aid which still remains high.

The Commission has proposed new rules for cross-border inheritances with the aim of simplifying the proccess. The proposed legislation offers greater legal certainty and flexibility.

As part of the bi-annual Healthy Workplaces Campaign on risk assessment, the European Week for Safety and Health at Work runs from 19 to 23 October and is organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and its partners. Hundreds of events and activities relating to safety and health will take place throughout Europe – ranging from conferences to training sessions and inter-company events. A new case study report gives practical advice on risk prevention.

The commission's annual report on countries aspiring to EU membership says Croatia has entered the final stage of accession negotiations. It urges the country to pursue efforts to meet the EU's conditions for joining, particularly its fight against corruption and organised crime.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has just released the results of a Europe-wide opinion poll on safety and health at work. The results reveal that keeping their jobs in times of crisis is the main concern of the Europeans, ahead of health of their working conditions.

The European Commission has presented a Progress Report outlining the achievements of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) over the past two years and looking out into its future. Alongside this, the Commission has tabled concrete proposals on two major IMP issues – the integration across sectors and countries of maritime surveillance and the international dimension of Europe’s maritime policy.

 The 2009 World Food Day on 16 October is marked by an EU stronger than ever in its commitment to improve access to food around the world. With the commitment made at the G8 meeting in Aquila for more than € 2 billion, in addition to the 'EU €1 billion Food Facility', the EU is the world's biggest contributor to global food security.

The European Parliament's annual journalism prize, for work that promotes better understanding of EU institutions or policies, was awarded by EP President Jerzy Buzek on Thursday. The prize (€5,000 in each category), went to Ines Possemeyer (written press, Germany), Szlankó Bálint (internet, Hungary), Zbigniew Plesner (radio, Poland) and Elke Sasser and Kristian Kähler (TV, Germany).